I'm in Love With the Man Downstairs
by Darknightdestiny
Summary: Kira's family relocates to an old, abandoned mansion due to her father's new job. While exploring, Kira finds something interesting in the basement... Vincent-OC. 3000 years post-Meteor.
1. When Opportunity Knocks

**I'm in Love with the Man Downstairs, Chapter 1:**

**When Opportunity Knocks**

By Darknightdestiny 

Disclaimer: I don't own anything Final Fantasy VII. Not Vincent, not the world map, not any of the names of people, places or things that appear in here. And the idea of the name Winchester is kind of coincidental, but yeah, I'm going to tie it in with the rifle. However, the ideas in this new, futuristic, made-over world, I take credit for, and the original characters are mine. The rest belong to Squaresoft.

Explanation: This story takes place a few millennia after the events of Meteor. Some of the areas of FFVII will be implied, others will be clearly stated. The only character from the game that will make an actual appearance in the story is Vincent, because well…he's one of the leading characters. Sadly, he does not appear in this chapter. I don't plan on posting any more of this until I've finished my main project, "Flirting with Death," which I hope to finish very soon. I may post chapters on this here and there if I have extra time. This primarily, is a preview chapter, and I want to have all of you tell me what you think of it, and if it will be a good story.

Summary: Kira is bored with her current life, bogged down by the weight her family puts on her of "Getting her head out of the clouds," and, "Knowing her role as a woman." A new job opportunity for her father takes her family from their aristocratic life and lands them in a mansion in the middle of nowhere. Eager for an adventure and something to do, Kira goes exploring.

Shall we begin?

The morning sky was simply beautiful; a light, yellow-white glow crept over the horizon, with shades of a rosy pink surrounding it, holding it. The sun was a timid ball of fire, cradled by its own soft glow. A new day approached, filled with new life and new opportunities. 

Or not.

For Kira Winchester, life had become mundane and limited. She could no longer enjoy the sunrise as she had when she was a child; she was already downstairs, taking lessons from her instructor- lessons on manners, posture, and other such things that she saw no point in whatsoever. Her father was intent on ridding her of that "skip in her step" that she always carried, a testament to her natural ability to stand out in a crowd.

But Kira was not supposed to stand out, oh no. Her mother always told her that if she were going to attract a husband one day, then she would have to learn how to behave like a lady, instead of an unruly little girl. And if she were unable to fulfill that duty, then she would be a failure as a woman.

"A Winchester woman always knows her place in society," her mother would say. "You should want to make your father proud, dear."

But unlike her mother, Kira lived up to her name in a most literal sense; she was a fiery explosion, not unlike those that came from her father's rifles when he was on a hunt. Kira wasn't interested at all in the things her wealth offered her: fancy clothes, expensive dinners, social gatherings, a five-story plantation on the outskirts of the city, a family membership at the yacht club, courtship by the richest young men in the area, and the finest lessons in being a woman that ever existed, given by the snootiest woman there ever was.

Kira had never had much success with her wardrobe. Somehow, her dresses always got ripped, and she held a bitter fury against the man who had invented the corset- at least she assumed it was a man, for she could never understand the reason why any woman would want to make her kindred suffer like that. Most of the food offered at her family's socials she could barely tell what it was, much less stomach it. The house was a complete bore, because she could never lay her hands on anything in it, for her mother's fear that something might be broken. She cared nothing for the yacht, because the only people who ever rode in it were her father and his business partners, who she doubted understood the full concept of leisure activities.

The men were almost the worst part of her new adult life, save for the lessons she was forced to endure. They would go on and on about politics, and when they did that, she was supposed to nod her head and agree with everything that they said, even though she didn't understand it- women weren't supposed to have an active role in politics, so why should she learn about them? They would talk about their father's money, and how they were going to inherit the family business…

And how they would need a wife to provide a son, who would then go on to inherit the family business years later…

And the lessons, oh the lessons! Madame Kroisse, most probably the meanest woman alive, drilled her day after day on how to be "dignified" and "genteel" and all of many other words that Kira knew all to well, but no one would have guessed belonged in her vocabulary. She walked to and fro in the sitting room, balancing three books on her head, and looking like a complete jester as she did.

She couldn't help thinking to herself how much she would rather strip down to her petticoat and go 'borrow' one of the horses from the stables. She was beginning to believe that if she had managed to do that one day, then she would ride out, never looking back. She wanted an adventure. She wanted a hideout, not a plantation home; a feast, not a banquet; something she could tear up on the road, not a fancy gown; a ride with some buccaneers, not a view of some yacht. More than all of those at the moment, was a dying itch to grab one of the books from the top of her head and begin to read it. But she could not do that, either, because she did not know how.

For a brief moment, she almost wished she were a man, because men never had to deal with such irritations. Then she thought better of it, realizing that if she were a man, she might have turned out just as bland as the rest of them. She found herself in front of Madame Kroisse when she came to this conclusion, and she snatched the books from her head and held them out to her teacher, a big smile on her face.

"So, how did I do?" she asked hopefully. She was told that she would not get out of this lesson until she had completed it perfectly.

Madame Kroisse looked down her pointy nose at the girl with a scowl on her face. She berated Kira with her shrill, clipped voice. "Interesting that you've managed to retain the balance of the books while looking like a fool."

Kira wasn't sure whether or not she should be hurt or happy with that. She knew she would never get the posture right, but she also knew she would have to want to drop the books in order to do it. Years of balancing on fallen logs and crossing ravines as a child had left her with an amazing sense of balance.

"Again!"

Kira groaned inwardly. This was going to be a long day.

That night, Carter Winchester walked into the den and addressed his sister. "Kira…"

She looked up at him from her spot on the recliner couch where she had been crocheting a scarf. If she had to crochet another useless piece of fabric, she was going to scream.

"Yes, Carter?" she said sweetly.

"Father has returned home. He has something important to tell us. If you would follow me to the dining room…" he turned, with his hands clasped behind his back, and Kira got up to follow him.

Kira's brother led her to a chair, and he stood beside her. Her mother lifted her head slightly, glancing at her eyes, then letting her gaze fall down to her daughter's feet and then rise back up with a disapproving look on her face. Kira quickly uncrossed her legs and held them together, tucking one foot behind the other.

Glancing around the room, Kira noticed that the entire household was present; the cooks, the maids, the gardener, even the stable boy was there. They were probably the closest thing she had to friends; she took no interest in the young women that spent all their time primping themselves like show horses. She wondered what her father had to say that was so important. As if on cue, her father began telling the small crowd just that. 

"You all must be wondering why I've called you here. I am happy to announce that I have been offered a generous position in the company. As of today, I am no longer upper management and a member of the board, but I am now the Vice President."

Mrs. Winchester was obviously thrilled for her husband, and pretended to grow faint, waving her handkerchief about her visage. Carter told his father how wonderful the news was, and the hired hands applauded. Kira couldn't care much either way; nothing new would come of it, and life would be as it always was, give or take a few social events. But then, Mr. Winchester had more to say.

"There is one catch, however. If I am to take this position, we will be moving. And I have already confirmed my acceptance of this gracious offer, therefore, the rest of you must prepare for the relocation." Bewildered eyes moved about the room. Once again, Kira didn't care. She had no social life that she wished to keep, and she wouldn't miss the current crowds at the events, or her teacher. "We will be relocating," he continued, "to a large mansion in the country. This place is extremely nice, it has been refurnished and everything we will need has been provided for us. We will have plenty of space, as the structure is shorter, but much, much wider than the house we are residing in now. I have been assigned the project of urbanizing the area, so there will be a few people around to help us if there is anything we need, and there is a thriving metropolis on the other side of the mountains."

The residents looked around at each other nervously. All Kira heard was, "…mansion…barely any people…"

"Workers will commute to the site through the mountains. Eventually there will be hospital stations set up in the area, and a fire station will be set up as well, but for a while, we will be on our own. We will rely on the help of the city on the other side of the mountains. That area is heavily industrialized, and they have a hold on some of the lost technology that our own city was without. And they have been able to build on that; we are hoping that we will be able to form a lasting civilization on that land with their help. Think of it! No longer will Red Square City be the only advanced place on the map! This is going to be so exciting!"

Kira was excited. Not quite an adventure, but maybe she could find something new to do out there. Even though her father was going to receive a significant pay increase, she imagined that it would still be much harder for him to order all of the expensive frivolities from the west, which meant she could possibly relax in her clothing, and there certainly would be no more attempts to eat anything she couldn't recognize. She couldn't fathom how a nation like Wutai could have survived for as long as it had, living off of food like that. But because they had been so centralized in their values, and held on to tradition, they had been strong and had survived the technological freeze-over that had crippled the rest of civilization eighteen centuries ago.

Once again, she could be a survivor, like she had been when she was a kid, taking long "journeys" into the "wilderness" of her own backyard- which happened to be hundreds of acres wide. Having a large city like Red Square just over the mountainside may have brought the others a sense of security in their endeavor, but it disappointed her a bit. She was hoping that her father would not hire anyone from over there to teach her again…

But civilization was picking up again, and their whole reason for going where they were was in order to spread that civilization. Red Square was the model of that civilization; after discovering old schematics of an old city in an old chest buried near the square, they had begun to rebuild their city to withstand the elements better, and had learned of the value of certain materials to their building. The "Red Square," as they called it, was just a giant red square that rose slightly out of the ground in the center of the capital. The city had been named after the square, and no one was quite sure where it had come from or what purpose it had served, but it was an obvious sign of a past civilization, and so the city had gathered slowly over time around it. 

Kira was jumping inside, though any physical outburst would have sent her mother reeling. She was finally going to have an adventure.

"Kira! You should get down from there. If Father sees you, he will have a heart attack!"

Kira looked back down at her brother, who was standing beside the coffee table she was currently on top of. She stood high above him, brandishing an imaginary sword. "Maybe we'll meet thieves along the way," she dreamed.

"Kira…"

"Or maybe pirates will hijack our ship, and we'll never make it to the other continent!" She swung the false sword wildly. She imagined herself at the head of a fray, taking down pirates left and right with one of her father's expensive fencing blades, a look of shock on his face. She'd then take control of the lot of them, and they'd sail the high seas and go wherever she wanted to go.

"Kira, I doubt that will happen. You don't need to worry…"

"Who's worried?" She smiled at him and her eyes lit up with a mischievous glow. "Maybe the mansion will be haunted!" She jumped down to Carter and began to pace around the room excitedly, making motions with her hands to show exactly how she envisioned it. "We will come to the gates, and when we stop to open them, they will open on their own! And the doors will stretch on forever! And the first night…"

"Kira, you're such a dreamer." Carter had hoped for her sake that she would grow out of her stage, but he still admired her livelihood. It was something other women lacked, and sometimes he wished the women he was courting had minds of their own like his sister.

"You say that like it's a bad thing." She pouted.

"It…makes things interesting."

She smiled back at her brother and ran out of the room and upstairs, ready to grab her bags and head towards their new home. 

(A/N): So there it is. The "demo" chapter. If I get a lot of reviews, I'll continue it right away, and not even worry about how much time I have. I'll still do a good job though, don't get me wrong…

I'd like to know if I should keep going with this, since I have a lot of good ideas I'd like to bring together. Most people dislike the Vincent vampire thing, and even though I don't think he is one, I had to do a supernatural fic. It just comes with the territory. How could I not? It's just a really cool thing to write about.


	2. The Dream: First Contact, A Foreshadowin...

**I'm in Love With the Man Downstairs, Chapter 2:**

**The Dream: First Contact, A Foreshadowing**

By Darknightdestiny 

A sound.

Footsteps, maybe? No, it couldn't be…

…could it?

Silence hung as thick as the air itself, swimming with dust and the night fog. Not a sound could be heard for miles…

At least to untrained ears.

Aching muscles awoke to the soft pounding of another's heart, those muscles stiff with the sleep of the ages. A thick metallic smell unfurled at the base of the wooden doorway, a smell that could only be detected by the sharpest of senses. A smell that crept over the rotten wood floors and casually threw itself on top of the deep cherry-colored wood as a dramatist would, seeping around the edges of the heavy imprisonment. And it smelt so strongly that he could taste it.

So it was true.

Outside the darkness, where the sun still shone through the cracks in the ceiling and the elements ate at the old foundation, a familiar warmth made his hideaway to be its destination, forcing itself into his resting place.

Humans…

On the shore…

It was not yet time.

Kira stood out in the night air, staring up at the mansion. The moonlight cast an eerie glow upon its stony walls, and made it look as if it were glowing itself. Darkness crept in between the crevices in the walls, casting a gloomy shadow that stretched over the ground beneath the building, all the way up to her feet, fifteen yards away. 

She shivered in the cold night air blowing off the mountains in the distance. The soil was soft underneath her feet, and there was no sign of life anywhere around. Chills danced along her spine as she stepped forward, ready to enter the new place where she was going to spend the next few years of her life, until someone else said otherwise.

It was still a lot better than the plantation.

As soon as she stepped forward, the ground began to stretch onward, and the distance between her and the mansion grew. She started again, and the distance grew with her next step as well. Eyeing the structure warily, she started walking towards it, and she found herself going nowhere.

Looking around herself, she realized for the first time that her family was nowhere to be found. The dead trees to her left and right stretched high, their dead limbs scratching the surface of the sky like bent fingers of an old corpse. She passed them one after the other, and still, the mansion never grew any closer. She stopped walking, realizing that she wasn't making any progress.

All of a sudden, dark clouds gathered in the sky and thunder roared as bright flashes coursed throughout the darkness. The clouds drifted over the full moon, a purple glow covering their edges. Kira looked up, no longer able to see the stars, or the source of the light. She lowered her head again and looked at the mansion.

Gone.

The mansion was nothing but a pile of rubble, dust blowing in every direction as a warm gust of wind blew up from the ground. The minuscule bits of ruined stone rushed at her and burned her eyes, and she looked through the blur at the mounds of rock. She began to walk towards the mansion…

And this time, she made it there in no time at all. Viewing it up close, she thought it looked ancient, old as the dirt that surrounded it- maybe older. She stepped within the holed out walls, mere slabs of still-holding dust in the middle of nowhere; they no longer connected, and she could see the fields from where she stood. The light had come back and the sky had calmed. She took a step further, and the floor gave way, her foot caught in between the splintering wood.

She tried her hardest to remove it, but she was unable to free herself. She looked around at a loss for what to do, and then something caught her eye. In the distance, she saw a black shape approaching from the shadows, flying straight in from the fields behind the mansion. From what she could see, it looked like a horse and rider, and it seemed to be made of darkness itself, because when it had reached the moonlight, there was still no difference in its appearance; the only thing she saw was black.

It came quickly, galloping at an unearthly speed; the wind screeched as it tried to grasp the tattered cloth that clung to the rider, but horse and master escaped its clutches. When the horse reached the same distance she had been from the mansion where she had first found herself, it reared up on its hind legs and let out a deafening scream, much harsher than that of the wind's whispered cries. The sound was unlike anything she had ever heard before, and she was sure it was something she could never have imagined on her own. It spoke of death and despair…for a minute she thought it might have come from the rider and not the horse, but she then decided that the noise was inhuman as well.

When the horse landed on its hooves once more, the rider had vanished. The animal stood still, unwavering in the suddenly chilly air as if waiting for something. She was sure she was now participating in some sort of stand off, but she couldn't be sure, because she couldn't pinpoint the location of the animal's eyes. For all she knew, it had none.

As she watched the horse with curiosity, all the while forgetting about her entrapment in the rotten floorboards, a wet coldness surrounded her body. She pulled her arms tightly around herself, as a dark mist spiraled against her flesh, enveloping her, taking her into itself. It rippled in waves as it crawled across her skin sending chills up and down her spine. She knew it would consume her if she didn't move…

But it felt so soothing…

Lightning flashed across the sky once again, and just ahead of her, the horse turned to ash and drifted away on the wind, screaming as it went. The last vision she caught sight of was the red moon up high, burning brightly in the sky.

"Kira!"

Kira woke up with a start to a pounding outside her doorway.

"Kira, you still in there?"

Kira pulled the sweaty blankets off her slender form and slid her feet down to the floor.

"Carter?"

"Kira, we've made it to shore. We're all ready to leave the ship! You'd better get ready as well…"

"…I'm coming. Just let me get myself together."

Carter's footsteps disappeared down the hallway of the cabin and Kira pulled her dress back over her bloomers and brazier. She decided to skip the corset this time, not in the mood to put herself through any more torture and not caring what her mother had to say. There was no one here to impress. Besides…

She didn't need it.

The moon shone a bright, pale yellow upon the visitors, a sharp contrast to the black night shores. Kira was growing more nervous by the minute. No one else seemed to be worried in the least, but they hadn't had the dream she had. Maybe her excitement had finally gotten to her…or maybe it was that last meal they'd had back home.

Kira's father was ecstatic. He'd waited for a long time to prove his worth to the company, and now he would have his proud name known for his efforts in founding a new city. He hoped to succeed Beraville's current status and bring this new city to the glory of Red Square.

Beraville was the small city that the Winchester family had been living outside of for a long time. Though it was civilized enough, it was couldn't even hold a match to the torch that was Red Square. The only thing the city, or rather the town, of Beraville had going for it was that they were paid for their exports of raw power. Beraville had a wealth of resources, specifically coal. Coal had only been discovered as a fuel source within the last seventy years; fortunately for the residents of Beraville, the first major deposit was discovered by one of their own. 

A gold miner by the name of Samuel Perkins had hoped to get rich by taking his pickaxe into their own mountain range, and by chance, he had discovered a wealth of coal in the base of one of the cliffs. Soon after, workers were sent to see what they could dig up, and it so happened that they discovered hundreds of intricate tunnels buried within the rock. There must have been a landslide a long time ago; the system was of an intelligent design and was obviously set up for efficiency in mining the site. This was also taken as a sign of the previous civilizations, and soon became Beraville's claim to fame.

However, Mr. Winchester's company wanted to spread its influence, and they wanted to create a port on the shore opposite of Red Square City, where Beraville's goods could be exported. Their chief plan was to create a city-center at the foot of the mountains where they could spread out from Red Square, using the larger city as their base. They would start an urban revolution, picking up from where the old society had left off, and building upon that, eventually making more cities and branching out across the world. The next site would be across the Sleeping River, at the entrance to Great Desert Canyon.

And the Winchesters would get to be the start of it all.

Somehow, Kira wasn't at all impressed. They would just be spreading the same influence that had always existed as far as she knew, making up a society that she had already come to loathe. She wanted things to change, she really did. But she was a lady, and as she was she could not express her feelings on the topic. No, her father would be the leading influence here. Disappointment set in as she realized she would never get her fresh new start.

The caravan made its way across the plains and towards the mountains, a short line of people in a solemn parade like a surviving thread of ants once the hill has been flooded. They carried little with them, for they'd been assured that everything they would need would be found at their destination. There was Mr. Winchester and Carter, followed by Mrs. Winchester and Kira, who kept receiving scolding looks from her mother for lack of corset. Just behind Kira followed Madame Kroisse.

Kira really wished the woman hadn't been paid so much to follow them.

The household servants brought up the rear with guides in the front, back, and a few interspersed within the party. These guides would stay in a section of the mansion until the workers made their way through the mountains the next evening. Then the guides would leave on the same ship that had brought them here. The workers would set up their camp in the fields, working around the clock in shifts until a decent amount of construction was completed. But Kira wouldn't be allowed to talk with them, she was sure.

Crossing the moors, Kira began to dread their approach of the mansion; she hoped that she had been wrong about the dream. She hoped she wouldn't find the same thing she had found in the dream.

Kira hated it when she was right. 

Well, maybe that wasn't true, but she wouldn't know because she was never acknowledged for her opinions. But she was definitely right about this, and it scared her. The mansion loomed up ahead, bathed in the same eerie moonlight from the beginning of the dream. She wished she could stop moving, but she was being drawn to it- they all were. And this time, the mansion was still.

"Have you ever seen something so captivating?" Carter asked his father.

Mr. Winchester chuckled and slapped his son on the back. "No, I don't believe I have!"

Kira agreed, but she wasn't about to say anything.

"They say," began the chief guide, "that when the survivors on this side of the ocean got together to form their place of refuge, that they tried to build their city on this side of the mountains."

"That makes sense to me," said Mr. Winchester. "The other side has a port, but this side has better access to the rest of the continent."

"But, Father…" stated Carter, "Red Square is the chief import center for Wutaian products. Their location works to their advantage."

"Ah, but when they started, they could not have known of Wutai's survival."

"The reason," continued the guide, "they had tried to settle here first was because that mansion a still standing sign of the old world."

"You mean it's that old?" Kira burst out. Her mother sent her a death glare.

The guide laughed a bit to himself. "Yes, my lady. The legends of the Great Disaster speak of mass destruction, explosives going off all over the world, machines attacking their owners. But somehow, this place survived while the rest of the world fell, save for the nation of Wutai, which never relied on the old technology. Never even kept any of it on their island." He nodded back towards the mansion. "They say it is over three thousand years old."

"They've dated it? What, pray tell, keeps it from falling apart?" asked Kira's father.

"That…is the mystery," said the guide. "Some say that the place is haunted. Others say that it was destroyed along with the rest of the world and it is merely a phantom."

Kira's eyes widened in fear.

"He's just telling ghost stories," said Mr. Winchester. "People from the company have been inside, taken care of the building. They can tell you that it's real and that there are no ghosts."

Looking up at the building, Kira wasn't convinced.

"I wonder then, how the building stays together?" the guide mused aloud, one end of his mouth curling up into a sly grin. Kira shivered in the night wind. "I can tell you one other thing that they say…"

Kira listened intently, while her father breathed a clipped laugh and rolled his eyes.

"They almost did settle here, and they would have too, except their people kept disappearing. Stories of phantoms and other strange occurrences made a legend out of the area. Stuff falling on people, dogs barking at nothing, cattle dying without cause…and that phantom rider…"

Kira's head shot up at that as they passed a bed of twisted metal sticking up from the ground and reached the huge double doors. 

"Shall we go in?" asked the guide.

(A/N): This was kind of more background, but I hope you all enjoyed the dream sequence…

Okay, so he appeared in the beginning, but he'll make a real flesh appearance, and in front of Kira, next chapter. Really, he will! Actually, he appears a couple more times, if you pay attention to the detail in the dream and read into it…

Tell me what you think- I love to hear from you! As always, please leave me an e-mail address if your review is unsigned so that I can thank you!


	3. Disappearances

**I'm in Love With the Man Downstairs, Chapter 3:**

**Disappearances**

By Darknightdestiny 

Kira followed the others into the house. Once she stepped inside, she was overcome by a sudden, drastic change in atmosphere. The inside of the house was nothing like the moors outside, which vaguely reminded her of an empty cemetery. No, the inside of the house was warm and inviting.

The heat that circulated about the room was coming from a fireplace in the lobby, to the side of a small room to the left of the entrance. She had wondered where this had come from, and as soon as she'd opened her mouth to ask, her question was answered.

"The caretaker," began the guide, "has been waiting. He has been watching over the mansion ever since the renovations were complete."

"Splendid!" cried Mr. Winchester. "When will we get to meet the chap?"

"I would imagine that he is asleep. Watching over the house is a full-time job…"

"Ah," Mr. Winchester said, and furrowed his brow.

"Not to worry! You may see him wandering about…" The guide turned and winked at Kira, but no one else seemed to notice. "Either way, it's time to get you folks situated, no?"

Kira stood in the middle of her new room, and trailed her eyes up and down the walls, examining everything in her view path. An old suit of armor stood next to the door, from what era she did not know. There was a deep wine-colored carpet that ran from the door to the bed, over smooth, varnished wood floors. The smooth cream-colored walls stretched overhead, still square at the ceiling, but curved slightly in the crevices, the centerpiece overhead being a swirling culmination of that same material. As if the ceiling was flowing out, reaching down to her. 

The bed was fitted with sheets that matched the cream of the walls, and covered in a thick, satin comforter the color of the carpet. Candles were hung on the walls and cast a warm glow about the space, warming her skin. A long mirror stood to one side of the room, independent from the wall on a brass stand, outlined with ionic leaflets that had been etched into the metal. A nightstand made of wood matching the floors, and the head and foot of the bed, rested in its place next to the bed, beneath the window. Sheer, transparent white curtains flowed down from underneath the wine-colored valence above the panes. 

Her gaze met with, and finally rested on, a large portrait hanging above the head of the bed; she took a couple steps towards it, drawn by some inexplicable force to the image it displayed. Kira's father had kept a fair amount of art in the plantation, all of the paintings were from the eras after the disaster; most all the other art had been destroyed, but he was lucky enough to obtain a piece or two of pottery or architecture, be it as damaged as it was. But this was unlike anything she had ever seen…and it wasn't even theirs.

The portrait was of a man, and followed none of the common themes of any of the humanities that had come to pass as far back as she could remember learning. It was simple, yet stunning in its beauty, and as she looked at it, she couldn't help but feel bewitched by his presence in the room. The man had extremely delicate features, and his skin was a ghastly tone of white; His brows were thin and elegant, a deep black that accentuated the paleness of his skin, and his long hair fell down in thin strands over his face, while the majority of it cascaded down behind his back.

He was clad in a high-collared coat of black that looked from the paint marks to have been made of velvet. The coat had two gold buttons at the top of the neck, and between the left and right sides of his open collar, a white ascot hung down over a black vest, two golden chains strung from one side of the coat to the other. His hands were laid on one of his black clad legs; one hand folded over the other, his thin and fragile fingers tipped with surprisingly sharp nails, a detail that did not escape the artist. The feet were cut off from the rest of the picture, just below the knees, the high-backed and red cushioned chair draped with a long black cloth that flowed down next to his legs and down below the view of her audience. 

His overall appearance was one of frailty, but his face is what truly aroused her curiosity. Slightly shadowed by the hair that fell forward, prompted by his widow's peak, she could still see the smooth skin that lay beneath the soft wisps. His cheekbones were high, and his nose was thin and spoke of stateliness. His brow was pronounced, but not overly so, and he wore a solemn expression, his eyebrows relaxed. His mouth was closed and slightly down-turned, and his chin came to a thin, almost feminine point, though it seemed proud and jutted out a small bit; the small dip beneath his lower lip carried a shadow, sunk in as if he had set his jaw back in the midst of a resigned emotion, perhaps betraying a slight overbite.

The most distinct feature, though- the one that gave the vision its most supernatural quality- was his eyes. They looked wet, glazed over, and hypnotic; they seemed to follow her own, no matter how she shifted her weight as she stared into their depths. And they were of a blood red color, something completely unnatural…a bit frightening, though she couldn't deny the interest it drew from her.

She kept her eyes focused on the portrait for a while longer, unsure of how long she stood there, waiting for someone to come and drag her away from it.

"So, miss, how do you like it?"

"Hmmm?"

"Miss," said one of the guides, "how do you like your new home?"

Kira turned to face him. "Oh, I'm so sorry, I didn't realize…" she trailed off.

The man smiled back at her. "The house, you do like it, yes?"

"It is beautiful," she said, unsure of whether she should be speaking directly with him. Would her father care? After a short deliberation, she ventured to ask, "Who is the man in the painting?"

The man's eyes followed her gaze to the portrait on the wall, where her eyes had been fixated for a good fifteen minutes or so. "Strange…" he said.

"What is it?"

"I do not remember seeing that painting…we had helped to renovate the building, practically rebuilt the entire thing atop of the old grounds. But I do not remember that one coming in…"

"…I have another question for you, sir, if you don't mind." She began, a bit hesitantly.

"How may I be of service?"

"Was that man…your boss, is he?" The man nodded. "Was he telling the truth? Did anything…strange happen here when you were fixing the mansion?"

He smiled at her, and she couldn't help but think that he was hiding something behind that mask of his. "The workers," he said, "they say the spirits are sleeping. But…they only say that because now we are in the clear. Back then, they were frightened out of their minds. But I wouldn't worry if I were you. I don't believe in that nonsense, and you shouldn't either. A pretty girl like you shouldn't fret!" And with that, he walked away.

Kira awoke from her sleep, feeling a cold draft run across the room over her bed. Somehow, that didn't seem right, the window being next to the bed and facing another direction…

She slipped out from under the sheets, her bare feet sliding across the velvety carpet and crossing over from the material to the hard wooden floors. Walking slowly over to the window, she noticed that it was open, but she had never remembered opening it before…

She leaned out a ways, grasping the separated panes with her fingers, ready to pull them in. Her eyes caught the glow of the moonlight dancing across the field, and she stopped what she was doing to admire the way the light, cast on the grass, made it seem like it was glowing a bright green. How strange the contrast was from the moors in front of the mansion to the softer fields from out back. Her eyes followed the light to where it disappeared in the distance, where the black sky met the brightened ground. 

For a split second, she could have sworn she had seen a shape shift out in the dark, a shadow or… something. She'd heard something rustle, and then turn away. The sound had been so close to her and yet she had known it had come from afar; perhaps her mind was playing tricks on her. Swiftly, she shut the window and went back to her bed.

Before falling into the inviting folds of fabric, she cast one more look in the direction of the portrait. The eyes stared down at her, glowing in the darkness. And she could also have sworn that the mouth had been in a different position than she'd seen it before…perhaps even slightly parted…

But she couldn't be sure. Unwilling to be haunted by his unyielding gaze, she closed her eyes tightly and waited for the sunrise.

When morning finally found the young woman, she was already waiting at the window, watching the horizon. She'd been plagued in the night by faint cries heard in the distance, cries she might have imagined, or that she might have subconsciously pulled from a dream. She'd been frightened enough, when in the early morning she had thought she'd heard the sound of a horse crying out. At that point, she had crawled underneath the covers and secured them around her head with her hands firmly planted in the pillow above her.

But when her room had begun to get lighter inside, she'd run to the window, hoping for a quick sunrise, and a bit curious to find out if she had missed anything important.

The sunrise at the mansion was not unlike any other sunrise, and Kira was a bit disappointed. However, she was even more disappointed to find her father and Carter already below her window, taking a walk in the fields. This meant only one thing; the women in the house were left alone, and that would probably lead to an unbearable amount of lessons from her teacher, a woman whom she had begun to believe had adopted breaking the spirit of young girls as her favorite leisure activity. 

Unwilling to have any part in it, Kira quickly dressed herself and began sneaking around the house. 

She wandered down the stairs, careful as she snuck by Madame Kroisse's room, not wanting to draw attention to herself. It was like she wasn't supposed to wander around without some purpose, an unspoken rule that she hadn't quite learned to follow. She tiptoed all about the house after that, trying to find something of interest.

She hadn't found much, only some artwork, most of it her own father's, brought over on the ship. There were a few more suits of armor, a tall grandfather clock, and one of the hallways was lined with several mirrors, all of a separate shape and design. She huffed in disappointment and started to make her way back up the stairs, resigned to the idea that she would not find anything of special interest within these new walls.

Kira stopped suddenly at the top of the staircase, realizing that she hadn't even bothered to explore the east wing of the house. A familiar glint appeared in her eyes, and she hurriedly made her way into the first room on her right.

Kira stood before the wall, unsure of what to do with this new bit of information. She glided her fingers down the stones, a strange and uniform break appearing in the materials used. It was as if an old fireplace had been held there, and then sealed up for some unknown reason. This perplexed her in more ways than one; she was curious as to why anyone would feel the need to seal up a furnace.

She knocked on the stones once with her fist, listening for any difference in tone. But the wall was made of stone, so all she received from her efforts was a sharp pain in her hand that made her draw back and return to useless staring. She let out a sigh of disappointment and leaned against the wall in her frustration…

And fell backwards.

Picking herself up from the ground, Kira found herself behind the wall, and lying on the top step of a large stairwell. The spiraling case was lit by small torches on the wall and stretched down about fifty feet or so. All of this was unexpected to Kira, but one thing she did realize; if there were lights, then that meant that someone else had already known about this place.

"Master Winchester!" a frantic voice called. Peter Winchester turned his head and craned to see where the voice was coming from.

"Father," said Carter, "isn't that one of our guides?"

A man came running out of the front of the house, towards father and son, gasping for air. He slumped over upon meeting them and held himself up with his hands on his knees, panting from exhaustion. 

"Sirs," he began, "your new workers have been spotted on the horizon. We have made our preparations to leave, but…" he drew in some more air, "we cannot find Williams anywhere."

"Williams is missing?" asked Mr. Winchester. It seemed that Williams, the lead guide from the night before, had vanished into thin air.

"We've looked everywhere for him, and he cannot be found."

"The property is quite enormous…" said Carter.

"Yes, but there is more," continued the man. "There was a messenger, from the mountains. It seems that a few of the men had disappeared in the night, after they had made their camp on the cliffs. They had sent this man ahead on his horse, to inform us of the dangers…I would not stay here if I were you."

"Ghost stories, again?" chuckled Mr. Winchester. "Honestly, you men must stop this nonsense. They must have fallen off of the cliffs in the dark. That is the only explanation, other than a wild animal carried them off."

The man straightened himself, eyes wide. "Suit yourselves. But I will not stay here any longer. Bretton does not believe the stories either, but we are taking him as well. If you truly wish to stay…then by all means, do. But there is no way that you will ever be able to cultivate a city here. Not when you cannot even convince anyone to come around." 

The man walked away quickly, and Carter turned to his father. 

"Do you suppose everyone will be alright staying here?"

"Of course!" said Peter. "There is no such thing as a ghost. Don't tell me you believe this madness!"

"No, it's just that I don't wish to stay anywhere where someone would have us believe that there is such a thing." 

"Oh?"

"Father…I'm going to go back to the house and check up on Kira."

"Very well, then. And, Carter?"

"Yes, Father?"

"Don't tell her of these recent events." He frowned. "She has a habit of believing in these sorts of things and concocting her own crazy stories with that wild imagination of hers. I don't want her getting carried away. We're here because we have a job to do."

"…I understand." Carter walked back towards the house.

Reaching the bottom of the staircase, Kira was met with a cold draft and held her arms up around her chest to try and stave off the growing chills. There was a long hallway stretched out before her, the ground rocky and uneven, most likely carved out of the rock beneath the soil on the surface. Her feet echoed with each step as she cautiously made her way down the hallway, unsure of whether or not she was allowed down there, or what would happen if she was discovered.

For some reason, she just couldn't pull herself away.

She soon came to a door on her left, and after checking the corridor for any movement, tried to push it open, but to no avail. It was shut tight, and the lock had been turned so that it was only to be opened from the inside. She noticed a pair of shackles sitting by the door in the corner of the hallway, and she began to have doubts about going any further. She raised her head and looked down to the end of the hallway where the only light below the stairwell glowed. There was a half-open door, and the soft light was emanating from the opening, beckoning her towards it. She obediently followed.

One soft hand wrapped around the doorframe, and the other pulled the door open, spilling the light into the hallway. She stepped inside the room, to see several tall objects covered with sheets, not unlike the ones she had slept on the night before. She assumed them to be furniture. Books rose along the walls, surrounding her and towering over her curious form, inviting her to partake of their contents. Sadly, she could not. She walked down the next hallway, which was also lined with books, and came out on the other end, only to receive another surprise.

Carter raced down the stairs, towards the lobby where his father now sat, reading one of his books. 

"Father…" he panted.

"What is it now?"

"…Kira's missing!"

"What?!" Mr. Winchester shouted. "She's gone off wandering, hasn't she? I swear, that girl never stays in one spot, always-"

"I'm worried about her. She seemed so frightened last night…"

"Never mind that! When I do find her, and believe me, I will, she's going to get the scolding of her life!"

"…Should I tell Mother?"

"Go ahead. She will see what a great deal of worry she can cause her family. Those men, their ship has yet to come, yes? Organize a small party and go find her!"

Kira froze in place, unsure of whether or not she should make herself known, or if she should run. Ahead of her, standing behind a desk, his back facing her and his mind obviously engrossed in a book, stood a tall man with black hair. His hair was short, and from the angle at which his head was set, she could make out his jaw line and see that his fine hair shot over from his forehead in large sprays that no doubt hindered his vision.

He had a good posture, though his neck was bent over to better see the text in his hand. He wore a short, black coat, the likes of which Kira hadn't seen before; presumably it was made from the hide of an animal, she thought most likely leather. His hands were clad with gloves of the same material, and he wore long black pants, which she thought to be made of the same material as her bedspread- satin, the legs of which were tucked into tall black boots. A bit of a cream colored collar peaked out over the top of his coat, and stretched in one piece to his jaw line.

The man closed the book with a quick gesture from his one hand, and brought the other to rest at his chin for a few seconds, as if he was thoughtful about his oncoming statement.

"Miss Kira, she smells like the fields." Seemingly to himself, yet still said aloud.

He turned to face her, both arms now by his sides, the book still in his right. She let out a gasp of surprise, her cover blown wide open, as his deep brown eyes met her own blue ones.

(A/N): Now would be a good time for me to mention that Vincent appears in a few forms in this story. It's crucial to the plot, yes, and you will see why soon enough. Think Vincent as we know him, and Vincent as a Turk (which is the form he has taken at the end of this chapter)…and other forms that a vampire might take. Also…about the portrait and my leaving out the claw? I'll explain that too, it's still there…

About the strange lengths I went to describe his clothing: I'm assuming Kira doesn't know what a turtleneck is. And coats aren't usually short in the type of era I'm aiming for, and so I tried to explain it through her eyes. Forgive me for any weirdness.

Now I'm going to have to go and sketch that portrait and post it somewhere on my site so I can show you guys what I mean. I'll let you know when it's up.

Thanks for reading! Reviews make my day and are much appreciated! 


	4. Meet the Caretaker

**I'm in Love with the Man Downstairs, Chapter 4:**

**Meet the Caretaker**

**By Darknightdestiny**

Kira stared at the man in shock. She'd never seen this one before; was he going to be mad at her for intruding? She was frozen in place, her gaze locked on his eyes. Something in his eyes told her he was not upset. Perhaps he was even…friendly? No man had ever looked at her the way he was looking at her. He had a strange sense of curiosity about him, maybe even amusement. The men she knew were never interested in her presence, even if it was a disdainful interest; they were only sociable, or looked down on her, never with any feeling, good or bad.

She was a bit scared of him. Here she was, with a man she'd never seen before in her entire life, alone in a dark and secluded basement that the others probably didn't even know about. But he wouldn't hurt her, would he? His comment about her scent was bothering her as well, mainly because she didn't know what he meant by it. She decided she would wait and see what he wanted.

The man watched her shaking eyes and hands with interest- yes, there was a type of interest there- while finding amusement in her reaction at his silent appraisal. One corner of his mouth twitched upwards, and his brow rose slightly. Kira took one step backwards, but that was all.

"Miss Kira, I presume?"

She was quiet for a few more seconds, before stammering out, "I…y-yes. H-how do you know my n-name?"

He set the book on the desk before him and lowered his head a bit; he folded his arms and leaned back against the wall of reading materials. He watched shadows as they played across the floor at his feet, cast there by the few large candles that were posted around the room, and he let an amused 'hmmm,' escape through his nose as his smile grew a bit wider. Finally, he raised his gaze to meet hers again.

"Am I correct in assuming you to be the only girl of your age to accompany this entourage?"

She was unsure whether or not she should be answering his questions, though he seemed friendly enough. People with bad intentions could be friendly as well. "…Yes."

Why did she say it? She hadn't meant to; it had just slipped out. She hoped she'd make it back to the surface alive. He hadn't been one to come with them, and so no one else could know about him yet, as far as she knew.

He watched her fidget, and looked as if he may let out a small laugh, but he did not. He only answered her with, "Then would I be correct in making another assumption, that you are in fact Miss Kira, of the Winchester family?"

"…Yes." She wished she would stop throwing out answers.

"Well then…" He took a step towards her and paused, as he saw her staring at his hand in the way that she was; he held it slightly away from his body, and she looked as if she thought he was going to strangle her with it. He tilted his head in question. "…Are you frightened of me?"

Kira thought for a moment. Of course she was frightened of him, if only because she'd never met him. Those eyes though, made her feel like she'd known him from somewhere before. Perhaps that, coupled with the fact that she knew she definitely had not ever seen him before, was what made her so uncomfortable. Nevertheless, she wasn't going to be a child anymore. And she was going to grow up her own way.

"No." She managed to straighten herself as best she could, without letting her spine shutter visibly under the pressure that was building inside of her. "Why should I fear you?" She trembled inside, not wanting to let her newly-found mask down.

"Indeed," he said, stepping forwards again, "why should you?"

Her eyes grew wide, and she was frozen again where she stood, unsure of what was to happen next.

The man stopped in front of her and held out his hand. She did not understand right away; she thought he was asking something of her, or suspected her of having something of his. Her mind hadn't caught his obvious intent, for her mind was much too busy racing with concern. She certainly was not ready to trust this stranger. She stood there, staring blankly for a moment, before she felt her hand creeping up to meet his.

Before she'd known what she was doing, his own hand reached down in one fluid motion and caught hers, bringing it up to his mouth. He kissed the back of her hand, bowing to her, and introduced himself.

"I apologize. I am…the caretaker of this mansion. But you…you can call me Valentine. Vincent Valentine."

She made a quick choking sound, but stifled it as best as she could. Who was this man, who had gone and kissed her hand, and hadn't even made himself present in front of the rest of the family? Was he really who he said he was?

"May I inquire as to what brings you down here?"

Kira was snapped up from her musings at the sound of his questioning. She wasn't quite sure what to say. If she said that she was exploring, he might be mad at her for wandering around the potentially dangerous site. She felt a foreboding all around that place, and it bothered her more than anything else ever had.

"Curiosity," she finally answered. "I wanted to see what the mansion was like. After all, I've only just arrived." She attempted to make herself look taller in front of him, in order to ward off any ideas that he might have of her being childish or ignorant, or simply unable to hold her own against him.

His eyebrows shot up at her recovered stance, her soft chin suddenly pointed upwards and out, and a newly dignified look cast upon her visage. He seemed to receive some satisfaction from her new countenance, as if she was betraying her underlying discomfort.

"If you wanted a tour of the mansion, why did you not say so?"

She looked downwards, upset that her only answer would give away the confidence she was trying to build. Yet he would understand, right? It was the way things had always been, ever since she could remember. "…I am…not supposed to be wandering by myself. I'm not allowed."

"And yet, here you are," he said matter-of-factly, as if he had been aware of her situation from the very beginning, and already knew that part of her life. He folded his arms again.

She quickly changed the subject to avoid any kind of berating that she might receive for disobeying her parents' wishes, yet he showed no signs of continuing down that path. "Where are we?"

His smile was teasing. "I should think you know. We are in the mansion basement."

"I know that." She forgot all of her wariness and the fact that she didn't know this man, abandoning it for her curiosity. "I've never seen it before. I have been on a tour of the mansion; they showed us around when we came inside."

"Then why are you so curious?"

 She frowned. "I wanted to see if there was anything else more…interesting."

"And does this interest you?"

"I don't know where it came from. I never noticed that passage before."

"And," he continued, mocking the face of one who finds himself faced with difficulty in solving a problem, "am I to assume once again, that you found this place by accident?"

She sighed. "Yes." She didn't like to admit that the most exciting part of her day so far was a mere accident. It was a bit jostling, to say the least, but it was true; she would much rather be here with this stranger than to be upstairs walking around with weights on her head. She put a hand to the back of her neck, remembering some old cramp she had received during one of her longer lessons.

After watching Kira become lost in her musings for a while, the man spoke up. "Then I suppose I will have to show you around."

Her head shot up at his words. She looked him over again, skeptical at his reliability. She didn't want someone to lead her around while her parents looked on. Or maybe she would rather her parents watched, if only for the sake of her own safety. Either way, she knew what she wanted; she wanted an adventure. "Are there any more secrets to this old house?"

He smiled back at her. She found herself loving his smile, unsure of why she did so, considering that she was still a bit frightened of him. It was a humbling experience, to find out that when she actually did come face to face with a potential danger, she had shrunk back from it instead of meeting it head-on like in her fantasies. She felt strangely welcomed by him, yet knew she should be wary of strangers. But maybe, just maybe, she would find a friend in this new place. What was his name again? Vincent?

Like a moth drawn to the flame. 

"There are. But I would not get carried away just yet if I were you. There is still much to be seen." Where another might have continued on through the door, ready to show her the rest of the grounds, or obtained a far-off look, as one who is reliving a memory of the place would have, the handsome stranger kept his eyes focused on her own. His unrelenting focus began to bring her nervousness back to her.

She waited for an explanation. When none came, she asked him, "Are we going to go somewhere?"

He simply replied, "I have much work to do here. I will, however, make my presence known to the rest of your companions at dinner. Then, if you wish, I will take you around the property."

She only nodded, his eyes still burning into her own. She turned to go, and gave one last glance over at him before disappearing down the book-lined hallway.

Red eyes watched her go.

(A/N): A bit shorter than my other chapters. But that was how I wanted to leave this meeting off. This does mean, however, that chapter five should come sooner. Is this confusing? When did his eyes change colors? What, when, who? Why is he so out of character?

Vincent's no dummy. He's playing head games. Why should he be quiet and solemn? He's comfortable in this form. XP

There's been a lot of stuff going on in my life that has prevented me from updating. Projects, moving out of my parents' house, getting a job to pay the bills…I am staying around, though, so keep checking. I didn't die, honestly I didn't!

I love to get reviews, and they keep me wanting to finish this sooner. When I see you guys are interested, I feel like I just HAVE to update, or I've let you down. So uh…if you want me to keep posting quickly, you're going to have to bug me XD

I also stopped sending most people e-mails thanking them for their reviews, because some people don't like that and it creeps them out. Hmmm. Maybe I'll do a few, though.

Keep reading...


	5. Sunset

  
**I'm In Love With the Man Downstairs,  
Chapter 5: Sunset  
By Darknightdestiny**   
  
  


Kira stepped out of the passageway, into the bright room, a contrast from her previous surroundings. She turned around and closed the basement off; she didn't want the man to be upset for leaving it open, seeing as she'd found it closed, and she also didn't want to leave any traces of it. If she was the only one to have found it so far, then she wanted to keep it to herself for a while. Feeling a bit silly for wanting to keep the caretaker's quarters a secret, she wandered out into the hallway...

And was met with a shout coming from the other end of the corridor.

"Kira!" Carter came running down the hallway. "Kira, where did you go? There are others looking for you; I was so worried! What have you been doing all this time?"

"I...was looking around the house."

"You've been missing all morning!"

"...Strange that you did not run into me," she mused aloud, choosing to ignore his point. She would imply that she would have been easy to find, had he only put a bit more effort into his search.

Carter shot her a skeptical look, but kept on. "Father will want to hear that you are all right. We've been searching for you for a while. I..."

Carter trailed off upon seeing his father come marching down the hall towards them, an angry look on his face. "Kira!" he shouted, "Where have you been?!"

"...I was just looking around..."

"Nevermind that! Do you know how worried we were?! You are always going off on your own. We don't even know all there is to know about this place!"

"I'm sorry, Father."

"Kira...go back to your room and wait there. You have lessons with Madame Kroisse in one hour."

Kira watched her father go with resentment in her heart. It wasn't like she had been dragged from her previous surroundings; she'd emerged from the basement all on her own. Yet, she'd been dragged from her feeling of escape that she'd managed to hold onto even after leaving the place. And now she was to be stuck with that horrible woman for who knew how long.

  
  


It had been hours since Kira had gone to her bedroom. In those hours, Kira had not seen her teacher once. She'd waited, but she'd not ventured outside of her room just yet. Her father had always kept a tight schedule when it came to her lessons, and she had thought her teacher would show up when he said she would. However, this had not happened, and she began to wonder what had caused her to not come. She thought about leaving the room to find out what had happened; she certainly wasn't in any hurry to begin her lessons, but she did want to be finished when the caretaker came down, so that she could see him again. There was something very strange about that man, something secret, though she didn't know what she was looking for, and she intended to find out just what it was that made him seem so mysterious to her.

Finally Kira had made her decision. She was tired of pointless pacing, tired of her bed, as comfortable as it had been, and tired of finding patterns on the ceiling to amuse herself. She'd taken to staring at the portrait of the man on the wall, which still held her fascination, but she still couldn't figure out what made it so interesting to her, and looking at something for hours, even something as interesting as that, was easily tiring after so long.

Kira walked over to the door and opened it slowly, peering outside. The hall was deserted, but she heard voices coming from downstairs. Throwing her first decision back into question, she wondered if she had the right to go downstairs and find out what was going on. She knew that she did have the right, of course, but she feared her father's reprimands. Boredome was getting the best of her, and she didn't want to be doing her lessons way into the night. The sooner she got it over with, the better.

  
  


Upon reaching the bottom of the stairs, Kira noticed creases of worry on the faces of the people in the room. Her mother was sitting on a sofa in the corner, watching her father pace around the room as he mumbled to himself. Carter sat in a chair, and a few of the staff members were present, though standing. They too watched the display with unwavering eyes. Kira walked over to the doorway, and ventured to speak.

...Father?

Mr. Winchester turned to look at his daughter. "What are you doing down here?"

"I was just-"

"Nevermind," he cut her off. "It's best that you remain where I can see you either way."

She thought about asking what had happened to make her father say something like that, since he usually preferred her to be off somewhere, making good use of her time. Instead she decided to wait for him to explain this change of mind himself. Not wanting to cut him off, she listened patiently.

"I don't understand how this could have happened," her father continued.

"Do you think," Carter queried, "that what that man said this morning could be true?"

"Nonsense!" cried their father. "Such things are for children!"

What things? Kira wanted to know what they were talking about, but she didn't want to get in the way. She would ask Carter about it later.

"I just don't understand," her father continued, "why she would just leave like that. We pay her well enough."

"Maybe she heard the stories, and decided to leave because of them?" suggested Carter. Peter just laughed.

"That woman had a good head on her shoulders! She would not be taken in by such juvenile pranks!"

Carter mentally sighed and slouched in his chair, leaning his head slightly back. He was a bit disturbed by the stories, though if he made that clear to his father, he was sure to hear that his sister had been getting to him. As these thoughts passed through his head, he caught Kira's eye. She mouthed to him the question, "Who?" to which he mouthed back, "Miss Kroisse". Kira's expression took on that of surprise, even though she knew she hadn't come to their lesson that day. She wouldn't have expected her teacher to miss it without giving some sort of notice.

"So then," Carter turned back to the rest of the room, "gone without a trace? Just like that?"

"...I just don't understand why," mused Peter.

Kira tried not to be over-excited that her teacher was gone, if only for the fact that she thought there was something a bit creepy about their new home. She had hated her lessons, but she never wished harm to come to the old hag. Even though the woman was terrible, cruel, snooty and arrogant, controlling...

"How does everyone like their new home?" a soft voice spread throughout the room.

Kira turned her head sharply to the left in surprise. Leaning casually against the banister was Mr. Valentine, his arms folded against his chest and a hint of a smile gracing the corner of his mouth. His eyes were scanning the faces in the room, and they finally landed on her, and his hint of a smile turned into a smug grin.

"And how was your day, Miss Kira?"

"Kira, do you know this man?" Carter questioned.

"Just who are you?!" demanded Peter, his voice teaming with frustration. Vincent just smirked at Mr. Winchester's open display of agitation and calmly walked to the center of the orange tinted room, the sun just falling behind the mountain peaks. He stopped in front of Peter and held his hand out to him in a gesture of respect and goodwill.

"My name," he spoke, "is Vincent Valentine. I am the caretaker of this mansion." He looked directly into Peter's eyes as he spoke, and kept his calm appearance to counter Peter's own discontent towards his new surroundings.

Kira watched with uncertainty, waiting for her father's pending reaction. Peter was staring blankly at the serene intruder, a thin man who stood a good two inches above him. Their eyes were both situated on each other's though each wore separate expressions; it looked as if they were having a staring contest of sorts. Then, out of nowhere, Peter broke his gaze and looked down at a spot on the floor beside Mr. Valentine. Kira thought she saw her father shudder.

"Oh," Peter said. "Alright..."

"You sound unsure of yourself," said Vincent.

"No..." mumbled Peter. "I was just...just thinking..."

Kira looked to her father and Vincent, then back at Carter, who was watching the two with a perplexed look. Kira thought her father was acting a bit looney, though she wasn't going to say anything about it. His voice had fallen to a softer tone, and he sounded as if he was merely thinking aloud, as someone would in a dream.

"Father? Are you all right?" Carter called across the room.

"Hmm?" asked Peter. "Oh! That's right..."

"Is there something I can do for you?" asked Vincent, his head tilted in question and his eyebrows up, but not the slightest sign of worry on his face.

"No...I remember now. That woman..."

Vincent's eyebrows lifted a bit further, telling Mr. Winchester to continue.

Carter decided to intervene. "Kira's teacher. Have you met her?" Vincent frowned a bit, signifying that he hadn't talked with her yet. "She disappeared earlier today. We haven't found any trace of her still, and it's already nightfall."

"Perhaps she is somewhere in the house?" Vincent seemed thoughtful.

"We've already searched high and low."

Vincent straightened up. "Well then. It seems there is nothing to be done for the moment." Kira watched him slip back into a strangely comforting state, though not comforting at all in this specific case; he seemed to make light of the situation. "You should continue on with your lives for now. There is no sense in tiring yourselves with unrest, when you have already done everything you can."

Kira's mother surprised everyone when she spoke up. "This is a serious situation, Mr. Valentine."

He turned and nodded his head to her. "Quite undoubtedly."

Her mother kept her gaze on his form, expecting more to come from him, but that was all.

"And that is it?" asked Carter. "We just...forget about her, leave her be?"

"What else would you do?"

Carter stopped, unsure of how to answer that. They had already done everything that they could, searched all throughout the house, and in the fields. The entire vicinity had been checked, and she was nowhere to be found.

Vincent gave the group one last look and turned to go. "I am sorry for your loss," he said as he walked towards the staircase. Kira watched the last lights of the day color his shadowed figure as he walked through the beams cast through the windows. As he reached the steps, Peter regained his composure and called after him.

"Valentine." Vincent turned his head slightly to meet the voice. "Have you been up in the mountains today?"

Vincent turned completely to face him. "No sir, I have not. Why do you ask?"

"Your hands are like ice."

Vincent tilted his head again and looked down at his left hand, which hung loosely by his side. He frowned slightly again before looking back up to Mr. Winchester. One corner of his mouth tilted upwards.

"I hadn't noticed."

Kira watched Vincent leave the room, and the rest of the occupants milled about awkwardly, having no idea what they should be doing. Glancing up the stairway again, she saw the caretaker ascending at an even pace. She took one more look around the room and saw that each individual clearly had all the time in the world, but had somehow found themselves too busy to bother checking on her. She decided she would follow Mr. Valentine.

After all, he had said he had many things yet to show her.

  


(A/N): Hmmm...wonder what happened to her?  
  
Anyways...thanks for keeping up with my fic. There's been a lot going on in my life...moving, term paper, getting a job, becoming independent...yada yada yada. I'm sticking with this though. I wouldn't give it up, I love this stuff. So ah...yeah. Send me a review? I like hearing from you all. It's a major motivation factor. Plus, it lets me know what you guys like and what you don't.  
  
See you next time!

  



	6. Dinner Plans

**I'm In Love With the Man Downstairs  
Chapter Six: Dinner Plans  
By Darknightdestiny**

Kira made for the stairway and followed the caretaker up to the second floor. Mr. Valentine walked at a slow and steady pace, not being idle in his steps, but not in any apparent hurry. Kira winced when she put her foot on the third step and the wood made a distinct creaking sound. Mr. Valentine paused his movement, stopping in his tracks. He turned his head slightly and looked over his shoulder at Kira, who could do nothing but stare back, as she was afraid to move under his absorbent gaze. He resumed his walk, silent as ever, each step in perfect time with the ticking of the large grandfather clock in the lobby. Kira watched his feet touch the ground, one after the other, without an echo to follow. She wondered if he was allowing her to follow him, since he did not say anything to her. She decided to continue on behind him.

Kira studied him as she ascended the staircase, warm rays of orange filtering through the burgundy and white draperies as she climbed further. The light warmed her face when it reached her and played about her features, kissing them from afar with a piercing glint off of the mountain peaks in the distance. Kira ran her hand along the banister, revelling in the setting sun as it shone through the glass and changed the color of her skin from a pale and shaded white to a rosy peach, and a curtain of warmth passed over her.

Suddenly, the caretaker darted off to Kira's right, before resuming his pace and disappearing down the hallway. She picked up her own pace and ran after him into the colder shade of the corridors. His figure retreated down the hall, and she tried her best to keep up with him, but he had far too much of a head start. How he had gained so much time on her in such a short moment, she did not know, but when she reached the end of the hallway, it was a dead end, and Mr. Valentine was nowhere to be found. Kira tracked backwards, but she didn't see him in either of the rooms on her right or her left. She looked back down the corridor to the other end of the wing, where the room with the hidden staircase had been. 'He couldn't have...he was right here, wasn't he?'

Kira walked quickly past the staircase again, and towards the room in question. She peered in and looked around, searching for any sign of Mr. Valentine. 'Vincent, was it?' she thought to herself, as she tried to recall the name he had given to her. She saw that the passageway was left slightly ajar, and she stepped over to it, but paused when she reached it. She was sure of whether he had really gone down there, or if it had just been left that way from his exit. Even if he had gone down there, would he appreciate her following him? After a few moments of deliberation, she decided that he couldn't really do anything about it, since she did live there after all.

Kira lifted the hollowed, false wall over her head, and she bent down and walked through the entryway. She descended the staircase slowly, for fear that if she went too quickly, she might collide with Mr. Valentine somewhere at the end of the line. When she reached the bottom, she took a look around, but he was nowhere to be found in the hallway. That left only two rooms...

Kira walked to the end of the hall and into the study, peering around for any sign of the caretaker. She walked through the aisles of books, careful to make sure that she didn't pass him by. She didn't see him there, or at the end of the way, where the desk was.

'Where on earth could he have gone?' she wondered to herself. There was only one place left to look, and that was the other door back in the hallway. Kira gave one last look around the study, and then turned on her heels to leave.

Leaving the warm glow of the candle lit study, the hallway seemed much darker than before. Kira walked over the floor and listened as it echoed with each footstep. She approached the large wooden door that she had seen before and prepared to open it carefully.

It didn't budge.

Kira idly wondered if it was supposed to move at all, given the renovated state of the mansion, and she thought it was worth a try. She knocked softly on the wood and gave a call. "Mr. Valentine? Mr. Valentine, are you in there?"

It seemed an awkward conversation starter to her, and possibly an improper one, given her position in the matter. She was a young female, and not in any position of power. She still didn't have the rights to a public voice, and her mother and father would probably be furious if, bothering to notice her absence, they had found out that she'd left to follow the curious caretaker down into an isolated basement.

Should she be looking up at him with respect, or should he be looking to her with respect? As far as she knew, her family wasn't paying him anything, but she didn't know about her father's company. Was he one of their servants, or were they his guests?

Kira was under the impression that since they were staying there permanently, and he was there to take care of the place, for who knew how long, that they were on equal footing. She felt odd thinking that way about a man most obviously older than herself, but it was of no consequence. The position made him sound like a servant. For some reason, that bothered Kira.

The silence that accompanied Kira's thoughts was broken short with a soft, "...Just a moment." There was a rustling of fabric and a soft creaking sound behind the door. These sound seemed so far away to Kira, and yet almost immediately following them was a clicking of the doorknob. The door creaked as it was pulled open, but only enough to reveal a shadowy darkness behind the opening, accompanied by the pale face of Mr. Valentine.

Kira stared into his deep brown eyes, partially out of an unexplained fear while being in his presence, where he seemed completely confident in every step he took. He unnerved her, though she couldn't say why. Whatever the reason was, she couldn't seem to look away.

Mr. Valentine looked down at her blankly as she stood in silence. After a moment, he ventured a question, to which the answer was obvious. "...Is there something that I can help you with?"

Kira backed up a step and shook off her daze. "Well, that is...Mr. Valentine," she started rather shakily, "I thought that you were coming to dinner."

The caretaker furrowed his brow and frowned a bit, giving off a look of laboured concentration. "Did I say that?"

"Yes, you did."

Mr. Valentine seemed to waver in his thoughts for a while before his face took on a small grin, and he leaned against the doorframe ever so casually. "Actually, if I am not mistaken, I believe that what I said was, 'I will make my presence known to the rest of your companions at dinner.' It is dinner time now, is it not?"

Kira nodded her head.

"Well then, I suppose I have done what I set out to do. Now, if you'll excuse me-"

"Wait!" Kira let the impulsive exclamation slip past her closed lips in an eruption she hadn't foreseen. Wait for what? She wasn't sure.

Mr. Valentine stopped mid-turn and looked back at Kira over his shoulder. "...What is it?"

Kira grasped for something to keep his attention, and while she did so, her eyes kept wandering behind him. She couldn't keep her curiosity at bay, and she hadn't yet seen what was in that room. The caretaker followed her gaze with his, and then leaned a bit to the side, so that he was blocking her view. Kira was suddenly snapped from her thoughts, but luckily, she had found an answer. "You must be hungry."

There was a pause. "I...have already eaten."

What then? Something...anything to keep from going back to the rest of the family. And there it was, in all its glory. "Mr. Valentine...you said you would show me around the property sometime..."

Mr. Valentine looked straight into her eyes. "So I did." He moved out from behind the door and carefully shut it behind him, locking it with a key that looked to be of an elaborate design. He started to walk away from her, down the hallway to the study. "And...Vincent, if you please."

"What was that?" Kira asked the soft-spoken man as she hurried after him down the hallway.

"My name," he intoned quietly as he walked the echoing hallway, the cave-like atmosphere giving off a certain chilling effect to the room. "My name is Vincent."

"Oh. Say, Mr. Valentine-"

"Vincent," he said, effectively cutting her off.

"...Alright. Vincent. Why are we going back to the study?"

Vincent stopped at the doorway to the study and looked into Kira's eyes. "Did you want a tour of the mansion?" Kira nodded her head. "Have you already explored the study?"

"I know what is there, if I should desire to read a book at some time."

A small smile played on Vincent's lips, if only for the fact that she had already assumed she knew where she was welcome and where she was not. "Well, then. Let us begin." Vincent strode quickly away from the study and towards the stairwell at the other end of the hallway.

"Oh, Mr. Vincent-"

"Just Vincent," he cut her off again.

Kira dismissed it, shaking it away this time for the sake of her important reqest. "Can we keep to one side of the mansion tonight?" Vincent's eyebrows shot up as she watched him, though his own eyes were set ahead of them as they stepped onto the first section of the stairway. Here Kira fell back; Vincent led the way, and she followed behind him. "...I would like to avoid my family as much as possible tonight."

"...It is true that many people will deal with grief in separate ways..."

"I don't mean to sound insensitive, but that is not why I asked."

"Oh?" Vincent sounded slightly amused.

"I want to spend some time away from them...get to know the place. I don't think I could stand to sit around any longer, just putting a worried look on my face and not saying anything."

Vincent didn't respond with anything. Kira wondered briefly if it was because he agreed with her parents, but something had told her that Vincent was different from anyone else she had ever met. He was definitely a strange character, but hopefully she would get used to having him around. More or less, he would most likely become her excuse to get away from her confines and her family's expectations.

A/N: Many apologies for not updating this sooner! I got caught up in a couple of other fics...now I must go write something for my Chrono Trigger fic that has also been neglected for a while.

I'm feeling really down about this story. Maybe it's because I haven't written on it for a while, but I found myself with a major block on it a while ago. I'm just not feeling it anymore. [sigh] So depressing...

Back to the drawing board.


End file.
